The natural heat insulation properties of cork, associated with a binding agent that resists high temperatures, makes its use possible in aerospace and military industries for such applications.
There are many realizations of heat protection materials; in particular: document US 2001/0036505 A1 concerns a porous composition comprising cork particles and a binding agent; document U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,899 concerns making an ablative heat protection material comprising finely divided cork and thermosetting resin; and document EP 1 493 788A1 describes an ablative heat protection material for entry into the atmosphere of a space vehicle comprising cork and silicone that can be projected onto a surface.
Document US2005/0096414 A1 describes a heat protection material comprising silicone resin, a silicone catalyst, cork, glass ecospheres and a silicone solvent, with 65.3 to 72.3 percent of silicone resin by mass.
One material used is also the material known under the EADS group's brand name NORCOAT.
This material comprises 100 parts by weight of 0.5 to 1 mm cork, 35 parts by weight of phenolic resin, a fungicide and a flame retardant.